GOP Representative Kean’s Extended Absence Strains Republicans’ Slim House Majority

New Jersey Republican Congressman Tom Kean Jr. has missed more than 50 consecutive roll call votes since early March due to an undisclosed health issue, complicating House Republicans’ legislative agenda during a critical period requiring near-unanimous party support.

The prolonged absence comes at a particularly challenging time for House Speaker Mike Johnson, whose razor-thin Republican majority can afford to lose only a handful of votes on partisan legislation. This week, the House faces crucial votes on immigration enforcement funding and reauthorization of the government’s warrantless surveillance powers.

“He’s expected to be totally fine and back to a full schedule soon,” Harrison Neely, a spokesperson for Kean, told reporters. However, Neely declined to provide specifics about the nature of Kean’s health condition or when the two-term congressman might return to Washington.

According to government tracking service GovTrack, Kean has missed every roll call vote since March 17, reflecting a 100% absence rate during this period. His last recorded vote was on March 5, nearly two months ago.

Speaker Johnson expressed optimism about Kean’s recovery after speaking with him by phone. “He is attending to a personal health matter and expects to be back to 100% very soon,” Johnson said in a statement. “Tom is one of the most dedicated and hardest-working Members of Congress, and I am grateful for all he does and will continue to do to serve New Jerseyans and our country.”

The extended absence has drawn criticism from Democrats, who are aggressively targeting Kean’s seat in the upcoming November midterm elections. The nonpartisan Cook Political Report rates Kean’s re-election contest as a “toss-up,” reflecting the competitive nature of his New Jersey district. Though Kean defeated Democratic challenger Sue Altman by five percentage points in 2024, four Democratic candidates are currently competing in a June primary for the chance to challenge him this fall.

The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) has seized on Kean’s absence, questioning the lack of transparency regarding his health status. “New Jersey voters deserve to know where Congressman Kean Jr. is and why he continues to play the stock market while in office,” said DCCC spokesman Eli Cousin.

Cousin’s reference to stock trading stems from a recent NOTUS report documenting that Kean has continued making personal stock transactions during his absence from Capitol Hill. A Kean spokesperson previously told The New Jersey Globe that the congressman’s investments are managed by financial advisors without his direct involvement.

Despite Kean’s physical absence from Washington, his congressional office has maintained an active social media presence. As recently as Wednesday, his official accounts highlighted two bills he introduced that advanced from the House Foreign Affairs Committee, though the posts did not mention that Kean was not present for the committee markup.

The situation underscores the precarious position House Republicans find themselves in ahead of crucial votes. With their majority whittled down through retirements, deaths, and resignations since taking control of the chamber in January 2025, nearly every Republican vote becomes essential for passing party-line legislation. Kean’s continued absence could force leadership to seek Democratic support on certain measures or potentially delay votes on contentious issues until his return.